Poets Step Up in Must-Win Game Against La Verne, Four Poets Score Double Figures

Jeff McLean '09 posted a double-double with 18 points and ten rebounds as Whittier College stayed in the hunt for a SCIAC Tournament birth with an 81-70 victory over the University of La Verne on February 13.  The Poets are one game out of fourth place in the conference with a 4-6 record, and are 11-10 overall.

McLean did his damage in 21 minutes off the bench.  The SCIAC steals leader also led the Whittier defense with three steals.  Mike Archuletta '09 and Travis Crow '09 each finished with 20 points and grabbed eight and six rebounds, respectively.  Archuletta also had a blocked shot and two steals.  Marcus Gibson '09 hit four shots from long range and finished with 17 points.  He was also credited with four rebounds, three assists and two steals.  Vernon Covington '08 was the only other Poet in the scoring column with six points.  He also grabbed six rebounds.

La Verne (9-12, 3-7) was led by Drew Terry with a game-high 21 points.  He made three shots from beyond the arc and grabbed five boards.  Juan Canas finished with eleven points and seven rebounds.  Brendan Hallinan made a pair of three-pointers and finished with ten points. 

Crow led the Poet charge in the first half with 17 points.  He scored nine of Whittier's first twelve points.  They held a 12-6 edge at that point, but at the 14:50 mark, a three minute scoring drought allowed the Leopards to get within one point. 

The Poets were up seven (30-23) with 5:21 left in the half, when Crow hit his second three-pointer of the game to increase their lead to ten.  Gibson hit his third from long range on the next possession and Whittier continued on a 10-0 run in a two-minute span.  They went into the locker room with a 45-30 halftime lead.

Whittier came out of the locker room and widened the margin to 19 points (51-32) in the first three minutes.  The Leopards were down, but not out.  They came back with a 12-0 run of their own, cutting the lead to seven (51-44) with over twelve minutes left in the game. 

La Verne wouldn't get closer than that however, as the Poets quickly were up by double-digits again.  Gibson's three-pointer with 9:24 gave them a 15-point advantage.  Whittier cruised from there.  La Verne hit a pair of three pointers as time wound down to make the final score 81-70.

The Poets play host to the University of Redlands in their next contest on February 16.  The game has some serious playoff implications with Redlands holding the fourth and final spot in the SCIAC Tournament and Whittier sitting one game behind in fifth.  Play from the Graham Athletics Center begins at 7:30 pm.